The Marine Resources Committee (MRC) is an advisory group to the Board of County Commissioners. MRC members are citizen volunteers committed to protecting and restoring marine habitats in our ecologically rich corner of the world.

Changing Ocean Conditions

At the February MRC meeting, Rich Childers, who works on ocean acidification issues for WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), gave a presentation about how changing ocean conditions affect management decisions for state agency resource managers. See his presentation here. The Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) is leading this effort. More info can be found on the State's Ocean Acidification Blue Ribbon Panel website (http://oainwa.org/mrac).

Puget Sound zooplankton sampling by DNR (photo on left) is one of the State's ongoing monitoring effort to help understand the changes that are happening.

2018 Annual Report

The MRC's 2018 Annual Report highlighting our accomplishments is now available. Read thefull report here. Don't have much time? Read the 3-page Summary, presented to the Board of County Commissioners in early Feb.

Highlights for 2018:

Economic impacts: Value of grants and services provided to Jefferson County was $145,870. Community partners & volunteers donated another $69,015 worth of materials, time and services.

Volunteers donated 1,811 hours to MRC projects in 2018

2 more rain gardens--another successful partnership with WSU Extension and City of Port Townsend-- 8 rain gardens in 4 years.

Citizen-science monitoring on 5 different projects from Discovery Bay to Quilcene.